Prince Joo Ji Hoon struggles to return to drama land

It’s been seven months since Joo Ji-hoon came back from army duty, with what was supposed to be a clean slate after he was busted for drug use back in 2009. And though he has successfully completed filming his first comeback project, the film I Am the King (due out in August), television just might not be ready for him to return.

Joo was rumored to be cast in the Ji Jin-hee sageuk The Great Seer, originally slated for SBS’s current season. He ended up not being cast, and there are rumblings that SBS was wary of being the Big 3 broadcaster to un-blacklist Joo Ji-hoon while KBS and MBC weren’t willing to budge, and thus pulled his name from the roster. (It’s not clear that SBS was necessarily caving to pressure, but it seems likely that the KBS/MBC stance is more fact than fiction.)

Well whatever the reason, he’s now rumored to star in a different SBS project, the 50-episode melodrama Five Fingers, from the makjang hit-makers behind A Wife’s Temptation and Temptation of Angels. But it’s not all smooth sailing, because since the possible casting announcement has surfaced, the reaction online has been quite negative. SBS has reportedly called emergency meetings to discuss the situation. No matter the outcome, it’ll be interesting to see how the broadcaster handles the online reaction.

If the hurdles clear, Joo Ji-hoon might be starring in his first drama since 2007′s Mawang (The Devil). If not, he may have to carve out a film-only career for a little while longer.